Cliffs
by PallaPlease
Summary: When an evil greater than anything ever seen before on Earth awakens, a demon calling itself a god emerges - and dark things are beginning.  Scott/Rogue.  [Rewriting]


Cliffs/Part First (1/2)  
  
AN: Hmm…the promised "Cliffs" is finally here! Well, it IS dark. Mostly Scott/Rogue in this fanfic and possibly some Kurt/Kitty. In my fanfic, Rogue is, more or less, living at the Xavier Institute and is, more or less as well, a (an…) X-Men .   
  
Summary: When an evil greater than anything ever seen before on Earth awakens, a demon calling itself a god needs the blood of a certain individual to make him strong enough to destroy all life on Earth. Scott/Rogue, Kurt/Kitty.  
  
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Maddened, a bloodlust long gone unsatisfied, the creature awoke, coal black eyes burning with a sinister fire. The darkness of the cavern surrounding its gaseous form pulsed, the evil pouring forth from it enough to kill and maim just by its existence.   
  
Locked away for an eternity of punishment, the creature was crazed and hungered for sacrifice, like the anguish filled ceremonies the Fearful Ones had performed in days long past, in a culture it recalled fondly, with all the love of a homicidal convict, as the Aztec life. In the end, it had been banished to the foul recesses of the Earth's dripping bowels, forgotten for centuries. And then, a cult had been formed, with pagan sacrifices and bloody altars. The pitiful humans had awakened the evil spirit, summoning it up with their half-mad chantings and wails.  
  
It was hungry for blood.  
  
  
  
A cold breeze stirred the lake, sending clouds of silt up to form hazy patterns in the water. Rogue watched in alarm, a chill not caused by the winter rippling through her body, and she shivered, goosebumps tickling her skin. Something wasn't right. The lake, the manor owned by Xavier, the trees…they all appeared normal. Yet it wasn't the appearance of normality that was bothering her…it was the lack of sound. With a sinking feeling growling in the pit of her stomach, she turned away from the lake and began running toward the mansion, sweater and jeans flapping mutely in the wind.   
  
Fear gnawing at her, she flung open the massive and grand doors of the front, breathlessly rushing inside. Then she froze.  
  
The insides were in a state of ruin, utter decay, and…there were statues. Bile rose up in her throat and she choked it back down, staring in sickly horror at the sight of her friends, frozen immortally in stone. Evan was still, a novella about, ironically, Pygmalion* clutched in one hand, his face forever caught in an intent expression. Whirling slightly, she saw Xavier in his wheelchair, his gentle smile dulled by the granite he had become. Kurt and Kitty were statues, too, as well as Jean and the two teachers. With a half-wild cry, she pushed past the front-hall filled with eerily silent X-Men, heart already broken by what she knew was before her.  
  
Scott. At the dining table, studiously writing an essay for school, he was carved, fine details and craftsmanship etched into the stone, making him more lifelike than the others. Sobbing, her pleading cries the only sounds echoing throughout the estate, she touched his face with her fingertips, a salty tear dripping down her cheek and sliding over the curves of her lips. Heartbroken, she flung her arms around the infinite young man, crying in anguish.  
  
  
  
With a gasp, Rogue sat up straight in her bed, heart pounding wildly, her pulse erratic and rapid. Auburn hair with white bangs messy and drenched with sweat, she buried her face in her hands, crying soundlessly in fear and relief. After a moment, she looked up and brushed tears off her face with the back of her hand, rubbing the salty wetness away with her nightshirt.   
  
"It's all right," she reassured herself, calming her breathing pace and heartbeat. Obvious was the fact that she wouldn't get much more sleep, Rogue glanced at her bedside clock. 1:07 AM. Passing her hand across her face, she tore her covers off and twirled her legs off the edge of the bed. As she stood up, stretching and yawning, her nightshirt well past her knees, she could ignore the knot of worry buzzing about in the back of her mind.   
  
Quietly creeping down the stairs, comforted by the creaking sound of the mansion settling and the steady tick-tock sounds of the Grandfather clock in the upper hallway, Rogue slipped into the kitchen, opening the refrigerator and pulling out the remnants of the chocolate cake they'd had for dessert the night before, as well as grabbing a few forks from the drawers.   
  
"You gonna eat all that?" a familiar voice stage-whispered from the kitchen doorway and she jumped, barely keeping a hold on the luxuriously sinful slices of cake. Turning to smile at Scott, she mouthed a 'no' and he grinned. "So…you don't mind sharing?" he asked hopefully and she, giggling slightly, mouthed another 'no' to him.  
  
Escorting both her and the chocolate cake into the dining room, Scott smiled, though unable to hide the fatigue lining his face. The two silently began devouring the treat, unable to look each other in the eyes. "Did you have a nightmare, too?" Rogue suddenly spoke abruptly, searching his face for an answer, desperately wanting to stare into his eyes and find solace there. He chewed slowly and thoughtfully, swallowing. Carefully, he answered, "Yeah. It was…really strange. I was looking at the lake and there wasn't any sound. I ran inside and all the others were statues. Even…even you."  
  
An uncomfortable silence descended before he broke it, dropping his fork, the dull sound of it hitting the floor going unnoticed. "Oh, God, Rogue…what's happening?" Alarmed, she wrapped her arms around him from her seat next to him, tears welling up in her eyes, unbidden. "I don't know," she whispered; "I don't know."  
  
  
  
It was happy, its puerile little tricks working their sinister magic on the people dwelling inside the keypoint. Through their nightmares, it had searched their genetic code, looking for the power it needed for its return. And it had found it.  
  
The male had an astonishing power, using power beams launched from the eyes to destroy objects. The female had an even more astonishing power, hers was the absorbing of other Powerlings' gifts and life forces. From what it had learned from the Powerlings' minds, there were others, some with dark powers, some with light powers. Having ahd personal experience from powers of good being stronger, it decided it would search out the others of 'light.' Time was running out, though, and it knew it didn't have much time. The blood of the Powerlings was to be spilled and absorbed before the setting of the fortnight.   
  
  
  
A pair of frightened screams exploded in the mansion and various mutants awakened by the sound pounded on Kitty's door as well as Kurt's. Rogue held back, chilled by the strangeness of it all. Nightmares…Shaking her head, determined to not focus on the coincidence, she stood by Scott, anxiously waiting for the two young mutants to appear. Evan was behind her, subdued, face glimmering in the pale moonlight, unusually withdrawn. Without knowing why, Rogue turned and walked quickly away from the group, pulling herself into a jog. Pressing her ear against the window at the end of the hall, she listened carefully, dreading what she already knew.  
  
Silence.  
  
"Oh, God…," she whispered, green eyes widening as she saw the lake's surface tremble and jump, quaking and tremoring though there was no earthquake. Her soul, though her eyes were blind to it, saw a darkness seep up from the lakebed, oozing across the wintry earth in the direction of the mansion. Numb with horror and frozen to the spot, she did the only thing she could.  
  
An inhuman scream tore through the halls, startling even the quivering Kurt and Kitty where they had exited their rooms. Rogue's throat continued to produce the terrified sound and a distinct rumbling began shivering beneath their feet. Brushing past Jean and Xavier, Scott caught Rogue in his arms as she fell backwards, eyes blank and wide.   
  
((my name is Ra))  
  
The voice echoed throughout their heads, creating mild pain in Xavier and Jean's minds, but searing through the minds of the others. Logan unsheathed his claws, roaring defiantly at an unseen foe, Ororo leaning against him for support, wind howling around her and her companion. Evan fell to the floor, the scar in his left calf ripping open, sending crimson blood spilling from the wound. The two other young teenagers held onto each other, on their knees as the wind Ororo was unwittingly creating scratched their faces and any revealed flesh. The two telepaths were shielding themselves with bubbles. At the end of the hall, Scott pushed Rogue's head into the chest of his shirt, weaving one hand into her hair and crushing his eyes shut, leaning his head over hers protectively. Rogue, wrapping her arms around his waist, felt something in his pocket that felt like his Cyclops eye-controller. With a doomed realization, she grasped it and pulled it out of his pocket, reaching up and pulling his sunglasses off and quickly replacing them with his eye-gear. If there was to be a battle, she wanted him to be able to fight.  
  
((fools))  
  
"Oh, yeah?" Rogue cried. "Are we the fools, or are you?"  
  
An angry rumble shook beneath their feet and with a frightened cry, the mutants fell powerlessly to the floor. Scott turned and noted the others pulling themselves up, staggering as they braced themselves against walls. Without thinking, he yelled above the din, "Everyone, go! I'll stop it!" Protests bubbled up, but Xavier silenced them. "Maybe it is for the best," he spoke gently, even as a dark form began taking shape behind him.  
  
Tripping, falling, teleporting, and phasing down or through the steps, the X-Men each departed, not wanting to, but following Xavier's will. Rogue alone did not leave. Desperately clinging to Scott, she tried to scream over the thundering sound, afraid to look at the evil creature formed at the other end.   
  
"Go!" he ordered.  
  
Tears dripping from her eyes, she shook her head no. Though it shattered his heart, he cried, "Go! I've never needed you! Go!" Stunned, she loosened her grip, pushing herself away from him, fresh tears spilling from her eyes. With a broken sob, she turned and vanished down the steps.  
  
She heard Scott attack the thing with his optics and she heard it return the fire. Crying violently, she thrust herself out of the manor, stumbling down the steps and collapsing at the feet of her fellow mutants.   
  
And she knew the battle was not over. Scott's sacrifice was done in vain.   
  
  
End AN: Um…it was short. No Kurt/Kitty in this one…whoops…I can't believe I killed Scott! NOOOOO!! *hits head with a mysterious wooden board* Anyway, Part 2 should be longer. Ja ne! You know the drill: read/review/weep/flame. 


End file.
